A day in the life - Christmas special
Dr Victoria Hedges

Dr Victoria Hedges spent Christmas Day 2023 at Sobell House, providing care and support to patients on our ward, at home, and in the local hospitals. Here, she shares what Christmas Day looks like for staff, patients and their loved ones, and what it meant to her to be a part of it.
8:00
I change into a smart red dress and leave my house. The weather is mild and the roads are almost empty, so I reach Sobell House in less than 15 minutes. Along the way I pass several keen runners but otherwise Oxford is very sleepy on this Christmas morning.
8:50
I chair the morning meeting for all parts of the palliative care service; we have teams in the community, at the hospitals, in Sobell House, and in Katharine House. My colleagues are in good spirits, sharing in a sense of occasion.
9:00
I leave my office and head to the Sobell ward, where I am joined by a familiar nursing team and my medical colleague, Dr Cammy Wong. After a handover from the lead nurse, Cammy and I review the most unwell and urgent patients together. Sadly, many of these patients are unable to know that it’s Christmas Day, but I feel honoured to be with them and their families at this difficult time. I am told by one family they’re grateful that their dad is with them for one last Christmas. They think he will live another day or two because he wanted to “make it to Christmas” and “wouldn’t dare die” on this day. They are right, he dies a few days later.
The ward is beautifully and delicately decorated. Many of the patient’s rooms are elaborately decked out; we see miniature Christmas trees, strings of fairy lights and much more. Families have brought their traditions with them – from music, to food, to rows of cards – and Christmas jumpers are the most common attire. Christmas has truly come to Sobell.
11:00
A small number of patients are well enough for home leave. We visit them next and wish them a Happy Christmas and a wonderful day. The nursing staff were brilliant: delivering care and medications promptly so these patients can make their departure. One patient asks me “how late can I stay out?”. I smile and say “as late as you like, but ring and tell the ward if you are going to be later than 9pm”. I expect them to need to return earlier, but I love their determination of making the most of the day.
12:00
It’s been a pleasure to spend time with patients and their families this morning. While Cammy continues to review patients, I take this time to catch up with the hospital and community teams.
The hospitals are relatively quiet with fewer than average admissions. I don’t have any data on this, but I think many sick patients do their utmost to stay at home on Christmas Day. The hospital team rejoice in supporting discharges, to get people home over the holiday period with the help of our home hospice team. The community team tell me of their shared exchanges and Christmas camaraderie with other healthcare professionals who have visited patients’ homes today, including our home hospice team and district nurses who will work all day and into the evening.
13:00
I return to the Sobell ward, where patients and their families have enjoyed a traditional, fresh, and delicious Christmas lunch together. Our chef has done an incredible job, serving turkey, pigs in blankets, sprouts, carrots, roast potatoes and Christmas pudding (my mouth is watering!). Christmas crackers are of course provided, along with a huge variety of drinks from our much-loved drinks trolley.
14:00
Many of my colleagues are far from their families today, so we are given a Christmas lunch to enjoy with each other over our respective lunch breaks. Cammy and I sit down to eat together. We relish the meal and a cold drink – no tipples for us, but it’s a treat to be able to briefly pause and chat. In other medical jobs I have done, Christmas Day goes largely unrecognised for clinical staff, so this is a welcome addition to the day.
All patients and staff receive a small gift funded by the Sobell House Hospice Charity. I was given a gift token that I spent on a running chest light – I’m using it on almost every run in these winter months.
14:30
We assess a patient who has been brought in from home. Their family are with them, and understandably upset that staying at home was not possible. The patient’s medical needs, as is often the case, were too complex and overwhelming to manage at home. The family’s sadness is mixed with gratitude and relief that we could quickly make their loved one much more comfortable and settled; sadly, it was clear to us all that they would die very soon.
16:00
The rest of my afternoon is filled with calls from across the county, the hospitals, and colleagues at Katharine House Hospice. It’s busy but not overwhelming. All the team are focussed on delivering excellent care as we acknowledge that, for patients and their loved ones, Christmas emanates sad sentiments of impending loss but also brings them together to make the most of the time they have together.
18:00
Christmas has run smoothly thanks to my colleagues doing a wonderful job across the whole service. I head home to spend some time with my family ahead of my Boxing Day shift. I had anticipated missing the time with my family but in fact I was glad to be at Sobell House, and gained an extra sense of contentment.